Set him free
by deviantartsbiglover
Summary: Based on the episode 'The Lonely Planet'. Sylvia tries to warn Janet not to force Wander to stay with her. She doesn't listen.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes: **My apologies to all the readers if this isn't greatly written. I wrote it in a bit of a hurry, so it may come off as a bit too sketchy. I just wanted to make a little surprise to a friend, and wanted to be fast about it. You know who you are, ya little rascal!

Next chapter will probably be posted tomorrow.

Anyway, on with the story. Hope you enjoy. :)

* * *

**Set him free**

"So long, Sylvia! It was so nice to eat you!" Janet's female voice echoed around her as she fell towards the center of the planet with a scream.

Once she reached the center of the celestial body, the dirt around her moved to form a cage, trapping her inside.

"No!" she let out, gripping the stone bars, trying unsuccessfully to break them.

A loud sound echoes around her again. Loud and disgusting. Did Janet just…?

"Oop! Excuse me. Heh." The planet said with a chuckle.

She did.

"Janet! Janet, listen to me!" Sylvia started, only for the jealous planet to interrupt her.

"I don't care what you have to say, Sylvia! All I care about is my Wandsy! We'll be together, forever!"

"You can't do that!" her grip on the bars tightened. "Janet, please, just listen to me! Wander is no ordinary creature! He's a star nomad! He can't stay on the same place for long, it will make him miserable‼!"

"Hah, you think I can't figure out your little game?! You're just planning to make me feel sorry, then take Wander away from me! I'll never allow that!" The planet seemed to grow more and more furious by the minute.

The zbornak fell to her knees as desperation took over her. "Please, I'm begging you. You can keep me locked up in here forever, for all I care. But please, don't force Wander to stay…" she gulped as the unwanted images flashed in front of her eyes. "If you keep him here… He'll die…"

"ENOUGH‼!" Janet made herself shake in order to startle the blue alien. "I've had enough with your attempts into taking Wander away from me! You're lucky I'm still being considerate enough to let you live‼!" the furious mass of dirt yelled loudly. "I'm going back to Wander, and I better not hear another word from you, GOT IT?!"

When everything grew quiet around her, she knew Janet had left to go back to Wander. To go back to keeping him trapped.

"Don't do this!" she tried to warn her. "You'll only hurt him! Stop this!" Sylvia pressed her forehead against the bars. "Wander…"

* * *

One month.

That was how long Janet had been keeping him trapped here. That's how long Sylvia had left him behind, alone.

As the sun rose, the light came inside the room through the window to hit his face, waking him up. He could feel his eyes hurt as he opened them slowly. He looked over at his thin wrists. Yup, still tied. Still trapped.

With a tired, sigh, he got up from the bed.

"Good morning, my dear Wander!" Janet greeted, using more vines to cuddle his face and shoulders. "Slept well?"

"Hmm…" was his reply. He felt weak, tired, had trouble breathing. And felt sad. Good glorn, he had never felt this sad before in his life.

"Look, honey, I made you pancaaaakes!" Janet sang cheerfully in an attempt to make the furry alien brighten up, using a giant mushroom as a table in order for Wander to eat the sweet treat.

"Yeah… Thank ya, Janet…" the star nomad started, only for a coughing fit to stop him from saying anything more.

"Oh my, Wandsy! Did you catch a cold?" A vine placed it's tip on Wander's forehead. "Hmm, you're very warm."

"Janet… Please… Let me out…"

"Sure, Wandsy! You know you can go wherever you want. Where do you want to go? The river? The mountains? Ooooh, how about a picnic in the forest, hmm? Does that sound good?" the planet offered.

"Not, Janet…" another cough. "I need to leave… see other… planets… the stars… help… people…"

For a while, silence was his answer. Until…

"I'll get the picnic ready. You'll see you'll enjoy it."

"Janet… Please…" Wander took a step forward, trying to get her attention. "Please…"

"No, Wander!" her scream startled him. "You've got everything here! Food, water, fun! I can give you anything! So why would you need to leave?" a few more seconds of silence, then the planet let out a sigh to calm herself. "Now, you stay put while I get the picnic ready. Okay?"

"Janet…"

"Okey dokey then! I'll be back with you!" she let out cheerfully.

He tried to take another step, but the world just kept spinning around him. It hurt to move. It hurt to breathe. It hurt to keep his eyes open.

It hurt to stand.

With a pained groan, he finally succumbed to lack of strength in his knees, falling onto the floor as he felt the air around him grow cold. Far away, he could still hear a female voice, calling to him.

"_Wander? Wander!_" Janet's panicked voice became lower and lower as if she was further and further away from him. Everything was getting darker, colder, quieter. And with a final, painful breath, he let himself fall into unconsciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes: **Once again, I apologize for any mistakes or confusion this story might have. It has been rushed and a little sketchy, and not one of my best works. But as long as I make my friend happy (and practice as well), I am happy. :)

Enjoy, my dear readers!

* * *

Sylvia immediately knew something was wrong the moment she felt everything around her shake. Through all the time Janet had kept her trapped, she had never shaken, not even when she gave her food and water in order to keep her alive. It was an act that proved to Sylvia that Janet wasn't a bad planet. Just a desperate one.

"Janet?" the zbornak called, only to be ignored as the shaking continued. "Janet!" she tried again, this time a little louder.

At first, a sniff was her answer, and then the planet's feminine voice spoke. "What?"

Sylvia could clearly see from Janet's voice that she was, or at least had been, crying.

"Janet… What's going on?" the blue alien asked.

"Nothing! Nothing's going on, everything's fine!" the planet replied quickly.

"Please, Janet, I have to know. If you're crying, it's serious." The prisoner gripped the stone bars of her cage. "It's Wander, isn't it?"

A sniff confirmed her suspicions.

"What happened?"

"What's it to you?! None of your business!"

"If it concerns Wander, it concerns me, you gigantic pile of dirt!" Sylvia started. However, she soon took a deep breath, willing herself to have patience. "Janet, I care for Wander, he's the only family I have. I want him to be alright as much as you do, but if you don't let me see him right now, then…" she pressed her eyes shut, trying to keep the tears in. "… Then there will be no hope for him. Please, Janet." She opened her eyes again. "I know you won't do it for me, but at least do it for Wander."

Silence was her answer. For long seconds, she received no response, and feared that Janet might have actually just ignored her. That is, until the dirt ceiling started giving way for her cage to rise. Everything shook as Janet brought the zbornak back to the surface. Back to her friend.

The cage disintegrated, and she was finally free. Free and inside the house the planet had built for the nomad. A house whose walls were covered in pictures of Wander, with various expressions, from various angles. Creep-flarping-tastic.

"He's upstairs." A vine swung in front of her to point at a flick of stairs at the corner of the house. "There's a room up there. That's where he is."

Sylvia wasted no time, running up the stairs, desperate to see her best friend after Glorn knows how long.

The moment she opened the door, she was greeted with exactly the sight she had been fearing.

Wander was lying in bed, apparently sleeping, yet restlessly squirming as he mumbled feverishly.

"No… they need… help… Have to help… See…"

As Sylvia approached her friend, she could make out beads of sweat running down the nomad's forehead and temples. His fur was a mess, and the bags under his eyes didn't make him look any better.

"S-Sylvia…"

At hearing him call her name, she rushed to his side and held his hand. "Sshhh, I'm here, Wander. I'm right here."

"Syl… Come back… Sylvia…" Wander kept mumbling in his sleep, but his please begged her, willed her to reply to them.

"I never left, buddy. I would never leave you. Ever." The zbornak caressed Wander's cheek, careful, almost afraid of hurting him with a mere touch. "You're going to get better, I promise. I'll make you feel better."

"H-help… me… Syl…"

She looked up, staring at the ceiling out of habit. "Janet, you'll have to trust me. You need to let us go."

"No!" Janet's yell was desperate, panicked. "You're going to leave me, and I'll be alone again! Forever!"

"Janet." Sylvia stood up. "If it were up to me, then you'd be right, you'd never see me or Wander again." Her gaze softened. "But Wander would never leave you without saying goodbye." She took a step forward. "I assure you, Janet, Wander will make sure we come back for you once he gets better. He'll make you laugh and keep you company. But for that, you need to let him go, or else he'll just… He'll only get worse and worse, until it becomes too much for him."

Once again, she received silence as an answer.

"Please, Janet." She asked once again. "Do it for Wander."

A defeated sigh echoed around her. "Alright." Janet let out, the vines finally letting go of Wander's wrists, freeing him.

Sylvia walked back to him and picked him up, holding him in her arms tenderly. "He's so warm… Too warm… We gotta hurry!"

"How long will you be gone?" Janet asked as the blue traveler approached the door.

"I have no idea." Sylvia looked at the ceiling once more as she spoke. It will be a while, but I don't know how long. But you can have my word for it, Janet. Wander will make sure we come back, whether I like it or not."

The zbornak rummaged through her friend's hat and took out the orbal juice. She opened it and created a bubble, big enough for her and the star nomad to fit inside. Once they were in, the bubble started floating upwards, away from the surface, away from the planet.

"Get well soon, Wander!" Sylvia heard Janet yell as they got further and further away from her. "And please come back! Please don't leave me!"

The zbornak looked down at her friend in her arms as he still mumbled.

"you're going to be fine, Wander." She whispered to him. "You're going to be fine."


End file.
